Main image by Rui Ricardo/Folioart
French magazine L'Express has published what it describes as the first-ever ranking of Europe's leading intelligence services, based on responses from 60 current and former intelligence professionals from 25 countries, including the United States.
The experts assessed their counterparts according to perceived reliability, professionalism, and operational effectiveness.
Britain's MI6 topped the ranking. According to respondents, its greatest strength lies in its ability to cultivate high-value intelligence assets over many years and pursue long-term operations.
France's external intelligence service, the DGSE, ranked second, earning praise for its global reach and its ability to combine human intelligence with advanced technical capabilities.
Third place went to the Netherlands' intelligence services, the AIVD and MIVD, which were recognized for their strong cyber intelligence capabilities. The publication notes that the Dutch services have participated in several major international operations and, together with the CIA, helped train Ukrainian military personnel in 2016–2017. The Netherlands also hosts Europe's counterterrorism intelligence center.
Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) and the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense were ranked fourth. According to the survey, Ukraine's intelligence agencies have impressed their European counterparts with their innovation, unconventional methods, and willingness to undertake high-risk operations. One senior European intelligence official reportedly compared them to Israel's Mossad, citing Operation Spiderweb and the assassinations of Russian generals as examples.
Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) rounded out the top five. Experts praised its analytical capabilities but described the agency as being more akin to a research institution than an organization focused on complex covert operations.
